Terminal construction



May 28, 1957 w. A. BARNES TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 21, 1953 I N VEN TOR.

WILLIAM A. BARNES United States PatentO This invention relates in general to terminal construction for'electrical conductor wires, and relates more particularly to terminal constructions having a union portion'located in position for'tip welding to a wire conductor. I

object of this invention is to provide an improved terminalmember construction for electricalconductor wires. a q

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved terminal member construction particularly adaptedfor arc tip welding of the terminal to a conductor wire. 1':Still another object of this invention is to provide such terminal with temporary holding and guiding means for axwire conductor to properly position the wire with respectto a union portion of the terminal until permanently united therewith. I e ........Other objects and a fuller understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one type of terminal construction made according to the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the terminal of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view of a wire mechanically engaged in the terminal and positioned for electrical union therewith;

Figure 4 is an illustration of the finished union, both electrical and mechanical, between the wire and terminal;

Figure 5 is a side view of a terminal construction made according to the principles of this invention;

Figure 6 is a front view of the terminal of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side view of the terminal with a wire conductor mechanically held therein;

Figure 8 is a side view similar to Figure 7, but with the wire and terminal welded together;

Figure 9 is a plan view of another type of terminal construction made according to the principles of this invention;

Figure 10 is a side view of this embodiment;

Figure 11 is the side view with'a wire mechanically held therein;

Figure 12 is. the side view with this wire and terminal welded. together;

Figure 13 is the side view with the union welded members bent down upon the terminal body; i

Figure 14 is a'plan view of still another type of terminal construction made according to the principles of this invention; a

.--;'Figure 15 isa side 'view of this embodiment;

:" Figure 16 is the side view with the wire and terminal mechanically joined; .and

Figurehl7is the side view with the wire and terminal welded together. 3 r

The' invention of this. application is suited for a soldering union of-conductoriand terminal, but the primary int'ntand purposeis foruse with tip-welding methods as ,7 2,794,176 Patented May 28, 1957 set forth in application Serial No. 318,303, filed November 1, 1952.

According to this invention, the conducting wire and a small union portion of a terminal member are held in close proximity in a position remote from the body of the terminal. The terminal and wire are then grounded and an electrode member of opposite polarity is advanced rapidly toward the area of the conducting members to be united. An arc is produced between the electrode and the weldable members and causes the weldable members to rapidly rise to the melting point and begin to melt. If the welding potential is provided in sufficient intensity, then melting will be rapid enough to cause the weldable members to melt into a ball and recede before the face of the advancing electrode. This receding action Will be fast enough to increase the distance between the weldable members and the electrode member beyond the arcing distance and, consequently, will extinguish the arc. Formed conducting members will retract as they melt because a spherical form will contain more material for a given surface area than the shaped articles.

Although this invention has found particular utility with aluminum wire and copper terminals, it has been found to be quite successful with other materials of opposite or similar characteristics.

There are four species of the invention illustrated in the drawings, each embodying the general basic principles of the invention.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a plan view of a terminal 10 having an anchor end 11 lying in a plane and adapted for mechanical union to any electrical equipment by the provision of a suitable hole 12 therethrough to receive an attachment screw. The terminal 10 is provided With a first set of deformable wire clamp tabs 13 to mechanical ly grip a conducting wire 16, preferably over the insulation of the wire 16. A second set of deformable tabs 14 is provided to grip the wire, preferably around the bare strands 17. The tabs 13 and 14 are illustrated as being integrally formed from the body of the terminal 10 and are deformable in the usual manner upon the wire to provide a mechanical grip.

As thus far described, the terminal 10 does not differ considerably from the usual mechanical grip type of terminal. However, there is provided a union member portion 15 which is punched from the body of the terminal and, extends in an upright position, as viewed in Figure 2. Inasmuch as the anchor end is said to lie in a plane, it may properly be said that the union portion extends at an angle with respect to that plane.

Prior to mechanically joining the wire to the terminal member, it may be that the deformable tabs 13 and 14 will extend as far, or further, in a lateral direction with respect to the plane of the anchor than the union member portion 15, but after having been clamped upon the wire 16, the union member portion 15 extends to a terminus beyond 'all other portions of the terminal body. Therefore, the union member stands apart and is readily accessible for the improved tip weld type of union. In Figure 4 the weld, is showncompleted and the weld is referred to by the .reference character 18. A perfect electrical union is thereby provided between the conducting member and terminal. This union is made possible by constructing the terminal member according to the principles of this invention.

is mechanically secured to the union member 25 by means of deformable tabs 29. The anchor member 23 is essentially an elongated strip with several lateral tab portions. The strip can therefore be primarily held onto the union end by gripping the deformable tabs 29 upon thi union end. Thereafter, the balance of the tabs can then be employed as gripping members. The anchor member 23 thus has a base portion which fits against a surface of the union member, and the tabs encompass the union end 25 and provide a mechanical grip to unite the two members 23 and 25 in a good mechanical bond, The anchor member is also provided with deformable tabs 24 to grip the uninsulated portion of a Wire 26 and hold the wire with the bare strands 27 thereof extending upwardly along the union end 25, as illustrated best in Figure 7. The tabs 24 are spaced apart in order that the wire may be placed into the position illustrated in Figure 7 by slipping the wire between the tabs. Furthermore, Whenever the tabs 24 are tightened upon the wire 26, they aid in further holding the anchor member 23 and the union end 25 together in a tight mechanical bond. The anchor member 23 is primarily provided for the purpose of securing the wire 26 to the terminal and absorbing any mechanical forces against the wire-terminal union in preference to absorption at the point of the weld.

It is to be noted that the union member 25 extends to an unobstructed terminus and is therefore readily accessible for tip-welding procedure. There is nothing in this arrangement which will obstruct free movement of a tip-welding electrode toward the strands 27 and the terminus of the union end 25 to form the weld, illustrated by the reference character 28 in Figure 8.

A still further embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the reference character 30. This terminal 30 has the anchor end, illustrated by the reference character 31, extending in a plane and adapted for mechanical union to an electrical apparatus by means of a hole 32 for accepting a fastening screw.

The terminal 30 is provided with a channel section 33 opening to one side of the plane of the anchor end 31 therefore providing the preferred deformable tabs for anchoring to a conducting wire 37.

Intermediate the anchor end 31 and the channel section 33 is an intermediate portion 34. A union member 35 is'cut from the intermediate portion and is bent at an angle with respect to the plane of the anchor end 31 in order to present the desired terminus remote from the body of the terminal. The union member 35 extends in a direction opposite from the opening of the channel 33; and accordingly, the wire 37 may be gripped by deformation of the channel portion 33 and the strands 38 thereof fed through the hole 36 which resulted from cutting of the union member 35. The strands 38 of wire 37 are thus mechanically held in contact with the union member 35 prior to applying the tip-weld action to produce the finished weld 39.

In this particular modification of the invention, the union member is illustrated as being bent down upon the body of the terminal after the weld 39 has been produced. (See Figure 13 of the drawing.)

A fourth embodiment of the invention is indicated by the reference character 40 in Figure 14 of the drawing. This terminal 40 has an anchor end 41 which lies in a plane and is provided with a hole 42 for mechanical union to an electrical apparatus.

Deformable tabs 43 are provided in a manner similar to that illustrated in Figure l of the drawings for mechanical gripping of the insulated portion of a conducting wire 46.

In the embodiment of the terminal 40, the temporary alignment of the strands 47 of wire 46 is provided by tabs 44. Tabs 44 are provided by severing all but a small portion of the tabs from the body of the terminal and then bending the tabs inwardly as illustrated best in Figure 14 of the drawing. The strands then are forced into the semicircular area defined by the tabs 44 and are thus securely held in position against the tabs until the tip weld action can be carried out to produce a weld 48 and bind the strands of the wire 46 and the terminal 40 in good electrical union.

The invention may be broadly said to comprise a body member wherein the anchor end lies in a plane and is adapted for mechanical union to a body such as a suitable electrical apparatus, and to incorporate a deformable wire clamp portion to mechanically grip a conductor wire and prevent transmission of mechanical shocks to the weld between the Wire and the terminal, and to also include a union portion which is preferably integrally formed with the anchor end and is extended at an angle with respect to the plane of the anchor portion to a terminus beyond all other portions of the terminal body when clamped to a conductor wire.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal member adapted for fused union with a conductor wire, comprising, a terminal body having an anchor portion adapted for mechanical union to a body, a deformable wire clamp portion separate from said anchor portion adapted to mechanically grip a conductor wire, and a union portion, said union portion extending as a spur to a terminus beyond all other portions of' the terminal body where it is accessible to a tool for causing fusion, said wire clamp portion adapted to hold a wire directed toward said union portion.

2. A terminal member adapted for fused union with a conductor wire, comprising, a terminal body having an anchor end lying in a plane and adapted for mechanical union to a body, a first deformable wire clamp portion separate from said-anchor portion adapted to mechanically grip a conductor wire, a second deformable wire clamp portion separate from said anchor portion adapted to mechanically grip a conductor wire, said first and second wire clamp portions longitudinally spaced and aligned to define a wire clamp path substantially parallel to the plane of said anchor end, and a union portion, said union portion extending as a spur to a terminus beyond all other portions of the terminal body where it is accessible to a tool for causing fusion, said wire clamp portion adapted to hold a wire directed toward said union portion.

3. A terminal member adapted for fused union with a conductor wire, comprising, a terminal body having an anchor end lying in a plane and adapted for mechanical union to a body, a deformable wire clamp portion to mechanically grip a conductor wire, and a union portion, said clamp portion defining a wire clamp path at an angle to the plane of said anchor end, said union portion extending in a path substantially parallel to the wire clamp path to a terminus beyond the clamp portion and therefor extending beyond all other portions of the terminal body.

4. A terminal member adapted for fused union with a conductor wire, comprising, a terminal body having an anchor end adapted for mechanical union to a body, a deformable wire clamp portion separate from said anchor portion adapted to mechanically grip a conductor wire, and a union portion, said union portion comprising a strip portion partially cut from the terminal body to pro-- vide integral connection of the union portion and terminal body, and to provide a guide hole through the body to act as a wire guide, said union portion bent into a position extending as a spur to a terminus beyond all other portions of the terminal body, said union portion being defiectable toward the body of the terminal after ing laterally from the plane of said anchor end between being united with a wire to thereby produce a compact said anchor end and said wire clamp portion. construction.

5. A terminal member adapted for fused union with References Cit d i th fil f thi patent a conductor Wire, comprising, a terminal body having 5 an anchor end lying in a plane and adapted for mechanical UNETED STATES PATENTS union to a body, a deformable wire clamp portion sep- 2,175,251 Carson Oct. 10, 1939 arate from said anchor portion adapted to mechanically 2,377,187 Schey May 29, 1945 grip a conductor wire, and a union portion, said union 2,483,424 Martines Oct. 4, 1949 portion comprising a generally semicircular wall extend- 10 

